Safety razor



y 5, 1953 B. s. CUTLER 2,637,101

' SAFETY RAZOR Filed Dec. 30, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR M, M v

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y 1953 B. s. CUTLER 2,637,101

SAFETY RAZOR Filed Dec. 30, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 T 5. /Z 25 1 B i a m g) I ;Z7

3ZAJ rmnnnnn INVENTOR ,Berl'am 1S Cutler Patented May 5, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAFETY RAZOR.

Bertram S". Cutler, Possum Hill, N. J assi'gnor of one-fourth to Robert L. Hubbard, Florham Park, N. 3'.

Application: December 30, 1949,. Serial. No.. 135,959

mounted to the razor to inject. anew blade and eject the old blade. The razors are particularly adapted for use with relatively thick blades.

Magazine razorsv are known wherein the razor blade is held between two members. of the shaving head by means of the spring-like clamping compression exerted, by the shaving head members. In this type of razor, the blade is commonly supported on a flat surface without any flexing action being applied to the blade. Insertion of a new blade is accomplished by positioning a projecting member of the blade mag.- azine in a receiving slot of the shaving head; the projecting member thereupon serves to spread the shaving head apart against its Spring compression, thus permitting a new blade from the magazine to slide the old blade from. the shaving head. lhe new blade then occupies the former position of the old blade; withdrawal of the magazine and its projecting member allows the shaving head to clamp the new blade in shaving position by its compressive act-ion.

Though the type of razor described above generally operates satisfactorily, it is subject to certain limitations and difficulties. For example, the blade may not be aligned properly in j the shaving head or the cutting edge may contact hard surfaces while being inserted into the razor, thus partially dulling the blade edge. Also the spring clamping arrangement does not permit a flexing of the blade which is desirable so that the blade is firmly held and has its cutting edge aligned properly with respect to the guard.

It is an object of this invention to: overcome these difiiculties and provide a razor which is simple and reliable to operate, which is inexpensive to construct and which. can be used with relatively thick blades. It is another object of this invention to provide a razor which will flex the blade and hold the cutting edge thereof in true alignment. It is another object of this invention to provide a razor which insures against dulling of a new blade as it is being inserted into the razor. Other objects of this invention will be in part pointed out and in part obvious as this description proceeds.

In one of its broader aspects, this invention may be said to lie in a magazine injector safety razor which iiexingly holds a blade therein at three points of support and also has an adjustable blade channel which permits of easy injection of a new blade and ejection of an old blade without dulling of the new blade. Also the razor has positively acting mechanical means therein which co-aot with a projecting member of the magazine to adjust the blade channel to a blade injection position or to a blade clamping position for shaving.

The features of the invention can better be appreciated by reference to the drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of one embodiment of this invention, wherein a magazine has been inserted into a razor and a used or old blade has been ejected therefrom.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the razor and blade magazine shown in Fig. I.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side View of a portion of the razor shown in Fig. 1, wherein the blade channel has been adjusted to shaving position.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the razor shown in Fig 3, but wherein the blade channel has been adjusted to ejection position.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the razor taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectional View of a portion of the mechanical means within the razor which serve to adjust the blade channel; the view is taken along the line 'l'l of Fig. 5.

In Fig. 1 is shown a razor having a handle H and a shaving head l2 comprised of an upper member l3 and a lower member M. A blade magazine !5 having manually-operable ejector slide H is shown as attached to the blade injection side 20 of shaving head i2. A slotted blade 22 is shown as having been ejected from shaving head 512. In Fig. 2 is seen the relative positions of blade magazine 55 as it is attached to shaving head 112; a portion of a spindle 24 and its clamp 24a is also shown (see also Fig. 3). Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the razor shown in Fig. 1 and depicts a blade 25, having a lower slot 2'! which is substantially parallel with the cutting edge 29, held in shaving position between upper member it and lower member M of shaving head it by means of spindle 24 and its clamp Zia. Spindle M is shown as positively actuated by partial gear 30 which projects into magazine finger slot e2.

Fig. 4 shows blade 25 in ejection position, i. e. spindle 24 has been lowered and its clamp 25a only lightly bears upon blade slot 21. The clamping mechanism is shown in more detail; gear 3B is shown as slidingly and rotatably mounted within an upper portion of handle H. Gear 38 isengaged with magazine gear rack 3|, inserted into magazine finger slot 32. Gear 30 has attached thereto lower sleeve or bushing 36 which includes a bayonet 31; the latter slot slidingly engages a pin 40, rigidly attached to spindle 24. Spindle 24 is slidingly mounted within a recess 42 of handle ll; spindle 24 also passes through apertures of sleeve 36 and gear 30. At its bottom portion, spindle 24 contacts compression spring 48 which tends to prevent any rattle or backlash in the razor. Thus, as a blade magazine is attached to the razor, its geared rack or projecting member 3| enters finger slot 32, engages gear 30, and rotates gear 30 in a counter-clockwise direction (as viewed from above shaving head 12). This rotary motion of gear 30 turns sleeve 36 and forces pin 40 and its attached spindle 24 downwards, thereby unflexing blade 25 and permitting it to be easily ejected from shaving head l2 by the following action of a new blade (not shown). When the new blade is positioned within shaving head l2, withdrawal of the blade magazine l5 and its projecting member l6 rotates gear 30' in the opposite direction, thereby raising spindle 24 to flex and clamp a blade 25 in shaving position.

Fig. 5 depicts a front sectional view of the razor taken along the line 55 of Fig. 3 and shows particularly blade 25 held in shaving position by means of clamp 24a attached to spindle 24. Rivets 53 attach shaving head 12 to handle portion II.

As shown in Figs. 6 and '7, projecting memher or gear rack 3| passes into magazine finger slot 32 and engages gear 30 having lower sleeve or bushing 36 attached thereto. Pin 40 passes through spindle 24 which is slidably mounted within sleeve 36; pin 40 is engaged in bayonet slots 31 (see Fig. 5) so that rotation of sleeve 36 raises or lowers spindle 24.

It is to be observed that in the embodiment here illustrated each of the blades is provided with a transverse slot in the form of an arcuate curve in cross section. This curve approximates the complemental curve on the surface of the clamp which looks the blade in flexed shaving position. In addition, the clamp, acting looselv in the slot during unclamped relationship, serves to guide the blade as it is inserted. Thus the blade is constrained to follow a predetermined path during injection which insures against accidental dulling of the edge. Additionally, of course, the slot imparts a region of greater flexibility into the relatively heavy blade which makes the flexing operation easier. I also contemplate a low nub formed on the blade magazine in position to act in the blade slot with a guiding action as each blade is ej cted. Note that the bottom blade in the magazine shown is the one ejected and hence this nub may be formed along the central interior bottom portion of the magazine.

Consequently, by this invention, relatively thick razor blades may be inserted into a safety razor without dulling their cutting edges and without misaligning them. The actions of the injection mechanism shown are positive and safe. Furthermore, the blade is clamped firmly and in flexed predetermined position; thus any chattering of the blade during use is avoided.

Though I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of my invention whose boundaries are defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An injector safety razor comprising a handle member, a shaving head supported by the handle member, said shaving head having an upper and lower member adapted to support a razor blade therebetween, movable clamping means operable by engagement with a projecting member of a blade magazine, a slot in said razor adapted to receive a projecting-member of a blade magazine, said movable clamping means comprising a clamping head substantially parallel with the cutting edge of the razor blade held thereby and a rigid spindle attached to the clamping head, said spindle being movable in said handle and connected to means operable by said magazine proj ting-member, whereby insertion of a blade magazine releases said spindle and clamping head from engagement with a blade and whereby removal of a blade magazine places the clamping head of said spindle in a flexing clamping relationship with a blade in the razor.

2. A razor according to claim 1 wherein the means operable by the magazine projecting member comprise a rotatable pinion gear centrally mounted within said handle, with teethv thereof extending into said slot and a rotatable sleeve attached to said gear and engaging said spindle so that rotation of the gear and sleeve moves said spindle with respect to a blade in the razor.

3. An injector safety razor wherein injection of a new blade serves to eject a used blade from the razor, which comprises a handle, a shaving head supported by the handle, said shaving head having a blade receiving channel adapted to slidingly receive a slotted blade and to support said blade therein when in flexed shaving position, a central recess in said handle adapted to hold a movable spindle therein, a compressive spring positioned in the lower portion of the recess against a lower portion of the spindle, a clamping head substantially parallel to a cutting edge of a blade within the shaving head, said clamping head being attached to and movable with said spindle, a slot on said razor for receiving a geared projecting member of a blade magazine, said slot also serving to place a blade magazine in a blade insertion position adjacent to the razor, and means engageable with said geared projecting member whereby insertion of the projecting member in the razor slot moves the spindle toward the spring to unclamp a blade held in the blade receiving channel and withdrawal of the projecting member moves the spindle away from the spring to flex and clamp a blade within said channel.

4. A razor according to claim 3 wherein said means engageable with said projecting member comprise a rotatable pinion gear supported in the handle and a hollow sleeve dependent from and attached to said pinion gear, said sleeve having a slanted bayonet slot which engages a pin keyed to the spindle so that rotation of the sleeve in one direction raises said in and spindle and counter rotation lowers the in and spindle.

BERTRAM S. CU'ILER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,969,945 Rodrigues Aug. 14, 1934 2,058,633 Rodrigues Oct. 27, 1936 

